As Time Goes
by Tsukiaa
Summary: MAZUME. Two best friends make a bet to see who will get married first, with one not realizing the fact that the other is probably in love with them.
1. A Harmless Bet

**As Time Goes**

a hirunaka no ryuusei fanfiction

* * *

Suzume sighed, tapping her hands onto her keyboard as she began typing incoherent words for her so-called report. "In conclusion, fish as it's known..." She mumbled as she continued her typing. "Is... yes." She groaned, her head meeting her keyboard in frustration.

This was a long day. It was her final report, the last report she needed to submit to her professors before being able to graduate. She and Yuyuka had spent the night at the library working on the finishing touches of their final reports, and it had already hit one-thirty in the morning.

"I can't finish this last paragraph, Yuyuka." She spoke through her hair. "I really, really can't."

The young blonde who was seated next to her huffed in annoyance, shutting her own laptop. "Stop complaining. At least you're almost done. I still have three reports due by Thursday, and I've only just barely finished the second one!"

Suzume turned to face her friend. "Well..."

"And isn't this just a report on your student internship? A teaching internship?" Yuyuka continued. "Why are you talking about fish? Suzume, you're _this_ close," she narrowed her eyes and gave a pinching motion to Suzume. "_-this _close to graduating. Think about it. You just have to submit the papers."

Suzume's head popped back up and she sighed. "I guess. It's too late at night for this. I'll figure out my closing paragraph in the morning since this isn't due until tonight." She closed her laptop. "I think I'll take my leave now! You coming?" She grinned.

Yuyuka rolled her eyes and stood up. "Yeah, yeah. I could go for a good cup of coffee or something. Let's stop by your uncle's bar before you go home?" She stretched. "I'm probably going to stay up and finish all my papers today."

The brunette nodded in agreement. "Sure! I haven't really seen him since internship started." She followed the blonde's lead in standing up and began packing her things. "I hope he's getting enough sleep and eating well." She mused aloud, placing her laptop in her case.

They quickly packed up and headed towards the exit.

"Oh!"

Yuyuka nudged Suzume from behind, letting the blonde catch up.

"Hmm?" Suzume blinked.

Yuyuka smiled. "I almost forgot." She pulled out a plastic container from her bag. "I wanted to give it to you earlier, but we were so caught up in our reports that I never gave this to you. I bought it during the small break I took." She quickly handed it over to the brunette, who carefully opened it.

"Su- sushi!" Suzume happily spoke, eyeing the various sushi that decorated the bottom on the container. She quickly ate a tekkamaki from the container and returned a smile to her blonde friend. "Thank you."

"Happy birthday, Suzume." She spoke as they stepped out the door. "Now let's get some coffee."

* * *

"Uncle!" Suzume exclaimed as her and Yuyuka entered his bar. "We're here for some coffee and hot chocolate! No beer tonight!"

Yukichi's eyes lit up in delight at the sight of his niece. "You go barging in without letting me know that you're coming first?! I could've made you both some food. Sit down, sit down!"

"We just want some hot drinks after dying during our report." Suzume explained as both her and Yuyuka claimed their seats in the bar area. "You know, I'm graduating soon." She grinned.

He smiled back, placing a cup of hot coffee in front of Yuyuka and a hot chocolate in front of Suzume. "I know." He said. "Your parents and I are excited for you."

It had been a few years since Suzume and her uncle lived together. Ever since she had decided to move to Tokyo to begin a new life, it was just her and Yukichi living together up until she decided to move closer to her university with Yuyuka. Even so, she had always considered her uncle to be the other father she never had.

She grinned, taking a tip of the chocolate. "Thank you!" She turned to Yuyuka. "This is it. Once we graduate, the next step in our lives will begin, huh?"

Yuyuka nodded, not without adding, "Oh! Speaking of the next step in our lives, have you spoken to Tsuru recently?"

"Oh, no I haven't," Suzume responded. "I've been really swamped this week. Why, is she alright?"

There was a glint of happiness in the blonde woman's eyes.

"She's getting married!"

"What?!"

"Yeah! Inukai proposed just yesterday. I just ran into her earlier this morning and she told me about it... oh, maybe that was supposed to be a surprise..." That didn't stop Yuyuka. "But yes- she's getting married!"

Suzume was shocked. Who knew? I mean, she knew that they've been dating since their second year in high school, and it's been almost 8 years from then, but... "Wow! I mean, just... wow."

Another sip of hot chocolate and a pause. "She's really getting married, huh."

Yuyuka followed along with her sip of coffee. "We really are growing up. I can still remember us fighting in high school, and then those study groups where we never actually studied." She smiled to herself. "We've grown."

"Yeah, and remember in high school where we made time capsules for our future selves? We promised everyone that we'd open it in 10 years. I wonder if we predicted things correctly." She added.

"Or when we would sneak out of homeroom to eat at Yukichi's bar when he had a fresh delivery of salmon! Or when I had to help hide you and Togyuu's relationship from your father? There was a lot of fun times."

Yuyuka smiled brightly in agreement. "Yeah, we did." She muttered nostalgically.

Suzume turned to the blonde, who was seemed surprisingly extra chipper about the wedding news. It wasn't that she was sad about the announcement, in fact she was glad! But Yuyuka was never the type to be excited about things like this.

"So... any news for you?"

Yuyuka blinked and faced Suzume. "Hm? What do you mean?"

"I mean, you seem so excited about Tsuru's engagement. And I mean TOO excited." She answered, leaning in closer. "Is something going on with you too?"

Yuyuka gave a faint smile. "Not exactly."

Pause.

"Not... exactly?"

"We haven't confirmed it, but he's mentioned something along the lines of marriage as well." Yuyuka explained. She was referring to Togyuu. "Not that I'm that excited about it. It's not like he actually asked yet."

Suzume stood up and clasped her hands together. The on-and-off couple of Yuyuka and Togyuu were finally going to start settling down. "Yuyuka, I'm so happy for you! Both you and Tsuru!" She exclaimed.

Yukichi jumped in from behind the bar. "Once the end of college comes along, you'll start seeing your friends head off in that direction," he motioned to his hand as if pointing to a ring. "It's a sign that you're getting even older."

Damn. _Older_. It was a word Suzume didn't enjoy hearing too much. It wasn't that she was even old, anyways, but the fact that the years were going fast didn't rub so well with her. The word 'older' just intensified the feeling.

"I _guess_, uncle." She sighed.

Beep beep. Suzume's phone received a message.

**Guess what.** She read it quietly.

**What? **She responded.

**I recently read an article that said that once a woman hits 25, that's the peak prime of her life. Almost there, huh?**

**Jerk!** Suzume furiously responded.

**Haha, I'm kidding. Happy birthday. Check for your present at front of your door. I'm too lazy to wait.**

"This guy sometimes!" Suzume shook her head and ruffled her hair furiously. She turned to Yukichi, who was intently trying to clean a glass cup. "Uncle! How much for my hot chocolate?"

Yukichi shook his head. "It's on the house. That's my birthday present for now. Once you graduate, stop over and I'll go ahead and cook you the greatest meal of your life!"

Suzume grinned, then faced the blonde. "I'll head to our apartment now? I'm going to meet up with someone." She began to run out the bar.

Yuyuka nodded and yelled as the brunette woman disappeared out the door. "I'm gonna head back to the library soon to finish. Don't kill him now?" She added with a smirk.

* * *

It was a cold December night.

Suzume wrapped her scarf tightly around her neck. "It's even colder than earlier!" She exclaimed to herself as she trotted home, her purse and a bag of food in hand. _I wonder what he left. It's probably a piece of bread._

Quickly but a bit clumsily, she rushed up the stairs 'til she reached the third floor where her and Yuyuka resided.

"Well, I don't really mind bread..." She muttered to herself as she made her way to the front door of her apartment. She saw what sat in front of the doorstep.

It was a piece of bread, as predicted.

Suzume sighed as she picked it up and began to put it in her purse, and realized that there was also an envelope taped underneath the bread.

"Oh?" She eyed the baby blue envelope, which had a note on the front.

'_To another year of friendship'_ it read.

She smiled, immediately knowing what it was. Carefully opening the envelope that had been closed with a tiny sushi shaped sticker, she gingerly picked up what was placed inside.

A couple of tickets to the aquarium for the next day.

"Of course." She said cheerfully. "He would just leave it on the floor though. What if someone stole this? The nerve!" She huffed.

In revenge, of course, she decided that it would be the perfect time to visit and thank him. Luckily, he had just so happened to choose the apartment across, then three doors down from hers.

She mischievously trotted to the front of his apartment door and smiled.

Knock knock.

No answer.

Knock knock.

Still no answer.

KNOCK KNOCK. Suzume knocked even louder. "HEY! OPEN UP!" She knocked again. "WILL THE REAL M-"

Her final knock never reached the door as the groggy looking blond had finally decided to open the door. "You know," Mamura muttered, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "It's already almost four in the morning."

Suzume grinned. "Thank you!" She held the tickets in front of him. "I'm excited and I wanted to thank you."

He smirked. "You're welcome. Congrats on being old." He teased.

She stuck her tongue at him. "I'm coming inside. I brought us food!" She began to step inside." I stopped by the convenience store on the way here." She lifted her hand with the bag of food. "It's beer and some chips, and also sushi that Yuyuka gave me earlier."

Mamura was now 75% more alert now grabbed the plastic bag from her and peered inside.

"This seems like a weird combination. You should go home and sleep."

"There's the plain potato chip thing that you really like as well." Suzume added.

Mamura's eyes for a second lit up in excitement, however he quickly covered it.

"Please, come inside."

* * *

"So he finally proposed? What a guy."

Suzume took another sip of her beer and stared at him in awe. They were already a few beers in and had gone into deep conversation about life. "What, you knew?" She said in a surprised tone. "You never told me?"

Mamura shrugged, taking a sip as well. "I was actually going to tell you tomorrow night since you were busy with your report _and it's your birthday and all_, didn't wanna overshadow that." He noted. "Also, I didn't know that he was proposing so soon, I just knew that he had plans to."

She nodded. "I'm surprised they're getting married so soon! Yuyuka says they're aiming for a Valentine's date," also adding, "and speaking of Yuyuka, she mentioned that she and Togyuu were even in the talks of marriage!"

"Well, we are in the age where people kind of do those kinds of things." Mamura said, as he began to take a bite of the potato chips. "It's normal."

"I wonder when I'll get married." Suzume mused. "It's something I can't really imagine right now."

Mamura laughed. "Not anytime soon, with the guys you date. I'll probably be married before you!" He joked, taking another sip of his beer.

Suzume turned to face him, taking another sip. "Hey, look who's talking! Your tastes in women are pretty bland." She stuck her tongue out. "Your relationships barely lasted 3 months. And when I mean relationships I mean only two. And they were both during senior year in _high_ _school_! One of them you could _barely_ even call a 'relationship'."

He grunted. "They just weren't the one." He spoke teasingly, with a slight hint of seriousness. "I'm a wanted man, you know? There are a lot of girls in the business administration department that want to go on dates with me."

"But have you gone on any dates with them?

"Well. No. But-"

"Then it doesn't count! Mamura, my friend," She moved close to ruffle his hair. "I will bet you $10,000 that I will be married before you."

She pointed to the sky. "Just you wait!"

Mamura had a glint in his eyes. "I bet that same amount that I'll be married before you." He said. "Do you accept, Suzume Yosano?"

She grinned. "Of course!" She grabbed the baby blue envelope from her purse and flashed it in front of him. "And I want my money in this same envelope on my wedding day!"

"Deal." He stuck his hand in front of him. "Shake my hand and make it official."

She moved to grab his hand, however, being slightly buzzed while at the same time sleepy, she missed and landed straight on his lap. However, she "fixed" her mistake and eventually grabbed his hand.

"Deal." She muttered, now getting tired. "I'll be married before you... don't you worry..."

He sighed, placing her hand down and moving the hair away from her face as she planted her head onto his lap. "You won't regret it if you lose?"

She smiled and murmured sleepily. "No. Won't you?"

He shook his head and continued to let the brunette woman lay on his lap and she tiredly drifted in and out of sleep. "I won't lose, don't worry."

"We... can make this easier..." she mumbled, "and no one will lose their money if we just married... each other... right?"

"..."

Suzume lifted her head up a little and turned to face him with a small smile. "But we can't. You said it's impossible to fall in love me, isn't it?"

But before Mamura could respond, her head had fallen back into his lap, and she had drifted straight into a deep sleep.

* * *

******shout out to my upcoming last semester in college, woo**

**I couldn't help but start a new story. Let me know what you think! I'll try to update this very very regularly. Probably once a week; twice if I'm really motivated. :''')**

**Tsukiaa**

**edit 1: i accidentally a horizontal line.**


	2. Eight Years of Friendship

**As Time Goes**

chapter two: eight years of friendship

* * *

All Suzume could think of was how bright the sun was, and that it was interrupting her sleep.

She turned to her side and grabbed the pillow nearest to her. _That's better_, she thought to herself, snuggling deeply into the soft cushion and taking a deep breath. The soft smell of soap lingered in her nose, and she smiled.

Wait. This smell was familiar, but it wasn't her usual detergent.

It was a soapy smell that only a certain friend could achieve.

Damn it.

"Ack!" Suzume quickly opened her eyes and scanned her side of the bed. Blue bed sheets, blue pillows, a pair of earphones on the bedside appeared before her eyes. Also scattered on the floor were a couple of beer cans.

She rubbed her eyes furiously. "Not again."

She was sleeping on Mamura's bed. He had probably carried her into the room after she crashed out a few hours earlier.

As she turned to the right, Suzume noticed a note card placed on top of a covered plate. She picked it up and opened to read it. _I made you waffles. Don't forget to finish your report. It's probably already noon._

"Damn it! I didn't finish my report." Suzume gave a little prayer and hoped he was wrong. Slowly, looked at the bedside clock. Yep. 11:45am. With realization dawning her, she practically leaped off of the bed.

"I only have three hours!" Suzume exclaimed. She opened the covered plate to see one huge waffle sitting neatly in the middle. His waffles, she thought to herself, were one of the best. Grabbing it, she placed it into her mouth and started out the room.

'Where's my stuff?' She thought to herself. It was probably in the living room, where she had last left it before getting extremely out of it and knocking out.

Sneakily, she quietly maneuvered her way into Mamura's living room, only to discover the blond knocked out himself on the couch, his arm covering his eyes to block the incoming sun.

"Mamura, I'm sorry!" She quietly hissed in apology, grabbing her bags from the floor nearby and clasping her hands together in apology. "I need to finish and submit my report by 3 today!"

The half-awake Mamura groaned and turned around. "Good luck I guess." He mumbled. "Let's have dinner or something later for your birthday. Lock your door on the way out." He soon rolled towards the direction of the wall and promptly knocked back out.

Suzume nodded and crept out of his house. "Thank you~ and sleep well!" She locked the door, and sped down the apartment building and into the direction of a subway leading to the university.

* * *

"You managed to finish in two hours?!"

Yuyuka said in amazement, setting her cup of coffee down. "I mean, I guess you only had the conclusion to finish. I spent all night finishing my report! The librarian almost saw me sleeping in my chair!"

Suzume nodded, munching on her pastry. "I can't believe I slept in so late!" She sighed. "But my mind felt like it was on adrenaline mode afterwards, and now, my report is done!"

"How'd you oversleep your alarm anyways?" Yuyuka wondered. "That alarm even wakes me up, and I'm in the _other_ room."

Suzume shook her head. "Oh, well I actually fell asleep at Mamura's so I didn't have my alarm near me." She explained.

"Again?! Geez, Suzume, that Mamura must be tired of you sometimes."

"He's my best friend, he shouldn't!" Suzume grinned, grabbing her wallet to buy another pastry. "And I won't get tired of him either."

"I guess." Yuyuka sighed in Suzume's direction. "I don't get you guys. You've been so close since high school. You both should be dating! It's not an impossible thing to imagine, you know."

Suzume shook her head. "No, we can't." She said. "It's impossible. He even said it himself." She returned with another pastry. "Besides, I think we're excellent as friends."

"Maybe." Yuyuka shrugged. "Well, it's not my problem." She looked at her watch. "Anyways, it's almost five-thirty. I need to head to my class and submit my papers, and I promised Togyuu I'd help him buy a tie. A tie of all things, how petty..." She cleared her throat.

"Oh, yeah, did you want to have a birthday dinner tonight? As a celebration for another year, and for surviving your final year in college?" Yuyuka began to grab her things and stand up.

"That would be nice, but Mamura and I are having our traditional birthday dinner at Pinky's. Nothing special, we're probably just going to share a pasta or something. Want to tag along?"

Yuyuka rolled her eyes as she walked away. "No thanks, I don't want to be a third wheel." With her back facing Suzume, she waved. "I swear, you guys should think about going out."

Suzume shook her head, even though the blonde woman couldn't see her. "Can't!" She yelled back as the girl's figure disappeared out the lounge.

Not only did Suzume think that they were excellent as friends, she was worried about the fact that if they were to eventually break up, the relationship that they both currently shared would be different. They probably wouldn't be friends after it all.

But it wasn't as if they didn't date once. They did once in the middle of high school, however, it didn't end so well, and it took them a month or so to finally be able to talk to each other so normally.

Yes, it was better to be friends.

* * *

"You're kind of late."

"I'm sorry! I kind of left my house without my wallet, and then remembered right before I entered the subway."

Suzume hurriedly sat down and straightened herself out. Mamura shrugged, taking a sip of water.

"We do this every year, and I pay for your dinner each time." He said. "And I don't take no for an answer, remember?"

Suzume rubbed her head sheepishly. "I know, I know, but I feel so bad. If you ever want me to pay, just say the word." She grabbed her wallet and wiggled it in front of him.

Mamura lifted his finger opened his mouth as if to say something, and then paused. "Nope, I'm good." He chuckled. "Also, I ordered already."

"Oh?"

As if in lucky coincidence, the waitress waltzed in with two plates. "I have one plate of seafood gratin," she glanced at Mamura who motioned it over to himself, "... and one plate of salty seafood yakisoba?" Suzume eagerly raised her hand, and the waitress placed the dishes in front of them respectively.

"I'll go ahead and come back with some water!" The waitress gave a chipper smile and waltzed away.

Suzume happily clapped her hands together and grabbed her chopsticks. "You remembered!" She said a tiny prayer and quickly began to eat her noodles.

Mamura gave a glance before grabbing his fork. "You order this every time we come here," he stated casually. "I'm bound to remember."

She stuck her tongue out. "How thoughtful, Mamura. Any girl would be _so_ lucky to have you." She spoke with a sarcastic tone.

He shrugged jokingly. "I guess I'm just a big ball of attraction."

Suzume laughed and gave him a light punch on the shoulder. "Your joke skills need some work though."

Soon, the waitress sped back with their drinks. "I have two waters for you guys!" She smiled cheerfully, placing a glass of water in front of each of them. "Ever since I've worked here a couple years ago, I've only see you two once a year and you both always order the same thing. I'm assuming this is your anniversary?"

Both mouths stopped chewing. Before Mamura could lift his finger to respond first, Suzume interjected.

"No no no! We're just friends. Best friends, actually." She waved her hands in the form of an 'x'. "It's my birthday, not our anniversary." She explained.

The young waitress put a hand to her mouth. "Oh, I'm sorry. You guys seemed so close. I must've misunderstood!" She bowed slightly. "My apologies!"

"It's fine," Mamura gave the waitress a smile. "Since we're close, we get it often. Don't worry about it."

The waitress bowed and apologized again, and quickly whisked back off into the kitchen.

Suzume grabbed her chopsticks once again. "I guess." She said. "It's pretty interesting how a lot of people mistake us for a couple sometimes."

Mamura shrugged and returned to his meal. "To eight years of close friendship!" He lifted his fork in salute.

"Cheers!" Suzume munched on her yakisoba.

"Oh yeah, speaking of earlier, mister _amazing_ boyfriend, how is your love life going? I don't think we've ever talked about this." She grinned. "Gotta check on the status of our bet."

He set down his fork and grabbed a napkin. "Probably better than yours." He paused to take a look at her shocked and slightly irate face. "Just kidding. You should remember that I'm busy, so it's not like I'm looking to marry someone at this moment."

A few months ago, Mamura had begun working after he had graduated with his finance degree. He had started his job in the finance department at a well-known local city firm, and was seemingly on his way up.

Suzume grinned. "Then I'm on my way to beat you!" She cheekily responded. "You should get that check ready."

Pause. Mamura's eyebrow raised. "Oh?" He said. "And what have you progressed with?"

"Um-"

"Exactly, stupid." He returned to his food. "Finish your food."

Suzume made a face. "You're no fun!" She exclaimed. "With that attitude, how are you going to get a girl?"

Mamura shrugged. "Dunno." He said. "But I will." He gave a fake smile. "And I want all my money in ones, thank you."

She lightly hit him with her chopstick.

Truthfully, Suzume knew that Mamura wasn't unpopular. He was a good-looking, young and bright business man. She had countless classmates asking for his number after she introduced him to them.

Hopefully that 'popularity' didn't work for his advantage in their little wager.

"Oh, speaking of money..." Suzume began her conversation.

* * *

"-and so!" Suzume continued. "I told her she couldn't borrow again because she didn't even pay me back the last time." She took a deep breath. "I'm not too sure why I lent her in the first place."

Mamura nodded. "I can't believe she had the nerve to ask to borrow that much." He responded. "I don't think it was for anything important either. Remember the last time she borrowed money from you?"

Suzume laughed. "Yeah!" She said, attempting to mimic the girl. "_I need this for my-_"

Mamura was laughing as well. "_-'beauty'_ _procedure!_" They both repeated at the same time laughing. "She still looks the same, I'm not even sure what that $50 did to help her so-called beauty."

Suzume shrugged and leaned towards the back of her chair. "I just think people should be more considerate."

He chuckled. "There aren't many people who are as honorable as you, Suzume."

She shook her head. "It's not really about being honorable!" She replied. "It's just... you should do unto others as you want them to do to you, you know?"

"You should let your former boyfriends know that." Mamura teased, and Suzume quickly pouted at that comment.

"Hey." Suzume. "As I said before, you shouldn't be the one talking, with your 'less-than-3-months' girlfriend. Your taste in girls is pretty... bland? Is that the word?" She shot back with a teasing smile.

Mamura gave her a look. "Anything is better than that _one_ relationship you had." He commented. "You were a mess for a year after he left. I couldn't bear to watch you like that."

Right.

She sighed. "You're right, you're right. You win." She said, waving her hands in the air in surrender. "I'm just glad you were there back then- and even now you're still here."

Mamura gave her an almost smile. "You know that I'll always be here."

Suzume looked up into his eyes, and something in her chest jumped. "I-"

"I'm so sorry!" The waitress from earlier interrupted their conversation. "My manager just wanted to let everyone know that we're closing up soon, and our last call for orders is in 15 minutes."

Suzume quickly glanced at her phone. "Oh! It's already almost 10:30." She mused, looking up at Mamura, who nodded. "We should get going soon."

Mamura agreed, and stood up. "I'll go ahead and grab the check, birthday girl." He teased, grabbing his wallet from his back pocket and walking up to the waitress across the room in the cashier area to pay.

Suzume took a look at Mamura from behind. He would probably be a good person to date, she mused to herself. Any girl would be lucky to have him.

Ever since high school, they had been inseparable. No matter how many times they would argue and claim to stop talking to each other, the most that they had ever been apart for had been that one month. Suzume thought that Mamura was like family to her. Someone she needed by her side.

Someone that maybe...?

Suzume shook her head to erase her thoughts. "I shouldn't think about that!" She said to herself.

"Think about what?" Mamura's voice popped up from behind her, and she almost jumped. He had returned with his receipt.

"Nothing, nothing!" She held composure. "Just... kind of wanting dessert." She lamely gave an excuse, and Mamura saw it as signal to not pressure on.

"Alright." Mamura agreed, nodding his head. "Just for today, we can eat dessert. I actually brought home some strawberry cheesecake ice cream yesterday. We can just head over and watch a movie if you'd like," also adding, "And it's cheaper."

Suzume laughed, standing up. "Oh, you cheap guy. I'll say it again: how are girls going to ever want you with that attitude?" She teased, and he shrugged.

"She'll love me for me." He airily responded. She punched him lightly on the shoulder.

They exited the café/restaurant and headed to Mamura's car.

"It's okay. Wait until after I win, and then you can happily date." Suzume winked, and they rolled off.

"Nice try."

* * *

Back at Mamura's home, Suzume happily skipped in. "I'm going to grab the ice cream, and you choose the movie to watch?" she suggested. "I'm thinking comedy?"

Mamura agreed. "I was thinking the same thing."

As she set off to the kitchen, Mamura began to remove his coat and hung it on the rack. After checking that Suzume was not around, he reached into the coat pocket and grabbed something that was inside.

Enclosed in his pocket was a small piece of paper he had received earlier from the waitress that had served them. Mamura gave it a serious stare before slowly opening it.

_555-5885. I'd like to hear from you! Mina._

He held the tiny piece of pink paper between his fingers and paused from a second.

"Sorry."

Mamura crumpled it up into a tiny ball and tossed it into the paper wastebin.

* * *

"_I can't believe he just left like that." Suzume quietly sat next to the somber Mamura, a tear managing to down her face. She used her uniform blazer to wipe it off as she sniffed. "Am I that worthless?"_

_Mamura shook his head. "No, you're not." He turned to her and looked her straight in the eye. "I'm only going to say this once, so listen well."_

_She sniffled, and met Mamura's piercing gaze._

"_You are the strong-willed, considerate, amazing Suzume Yosano." He said firmly, holding her from both shoulders. "Anyone would be so lucky to have you." His words resonated throughout the empty classroom._

"_Thank you." She sniffled again and gave a small laugh, and Mamura grabbed a handkerchief he had to wipe the tears that still remained. "The way you say it," She spoke. "It sounds as if you're falling in love with me or something."_

_He slowly released her shoulders, and chuckled to himself. "No," he said. "It's impossible to fall in love with you."_

* * *

**Sorry if this chapter is weird and really uneventful, but take this as sort of a transitional chapter for the upcoming chapters.**

**Chapter three may be quite long or longer than this one at least, so look forward to that hopefully! I had already completed most of it, but then totally scrapped it in the end because I was writing it in a way that was deterring from what I had originally intended to write about, oops!**

**But yes. Let me know how good or bad this story is going, and I'll try to... be... better?**

**Tsukiaa**


	3. Noble Friends

**As Time Goes**

chapter three: Noble Friends

* * *

"Mamura, you awake still?"

No, he wasn't. Mamura had opted to fall asleep during the movie. Suzume didn't mind though, because she was already grateful for the dinner and the gifts he had given her on her birthday. She also knew how tired he was from working all day.

She gave a satisfied smile as she let Mamura doze off while leaning on her shoulder, unbeknownst to him.

"Thank you."

She took a look at the blond man that was leaning against her shoulder, and began to wonder when he started to gain more mature features.

His once extremely unkempt hair was now only slightly unruly and shorter than it once was, giving him that older look. His jawline had also grown sharper; Suzume had jokingly thought that she was somewhat lucky to have kept such a handsome looking friend.

Mamura's breathing was slow and steady, and Suzume felt relaxed as she let him lean against her while he was asleep.

She felt like she wouldn't mind if this would had lasted for a long time.

It didn't, however.

Mamura soon mumbled to himself and rolled towards the side of the couch, resting in an uncomfortable position on the arms of the chair.

Suzume laughed to herself to see the usually poised Mamura in a strange uncomfortable position, and had completely forgotten about the movie in favor of snapping a photo of her friend. She whipped out her smartphone and squatted next to him, quickly taking various photos of the blond while hoping that these pictures would be of great use in the future.

He would probably be pleasantly surprised find out about this later on.

As she finished gathering blackmail, she decided that she would be a nice friend by cleaning up after herself, as they had both drank a couple beers and had also finished that tub of ice cream. Suzume grabbed all the empty cans and containers and threw it in the bag that they had bought the beers in.

As she stood with all the trash in hand, Suzume moved to the wastebin, thinking that she might as well throw everything away. The crumpled papers were starting to pile up into the wastebin, and it was getting pretty messy for Mamura's standards.

She grabbed the plastic bag that lined the bin and started to lift it up. In the process, a couple of crumpled papers began to fall out.

"Oh, whoops." She mumbled to herself, reaching down to pick up the balls that had fallen in the process.

Amidst the number of tiny and large crumpled white papers, there was an odd bright pink paper that had caught her eye.

Earlier that night, after heading to the kitchen, she decided to ask Mamura if he had any ice cream cones available, and had caught him tossing that little piece of pink paper. What was it?

_Hmmm, it must be the receipt_. Suzume thought. _I wonder how much it was. And next time I'm treating anyways. Should I go and check it? I don't want to treat him to somewhere less expensive... heh._

She sneakily checked if Mamura had woken up. No dice. He had knocked out.

There was a glint in Suzume's eye as she quickly snatched up the pink paper from the ground. "This is probably bad," she whispered to herself. "But I can't help it!"

She swiftly opened up the crumpled paper, only to see the message and phone number that Mamura had seen himself.

"I'd... like to hear from you... Mina?" She read aloud. A girl?! Suzume almost gasped. A girl contacted Mamura? Gave him her number? And he _threw it away_?

Suzume jumped from her sitting-on-the-floor position and scrambled, balled up paper in hand, to where Mamura was.

With less than one feet away from Mamura, Suzume shot the crumpled piece of paper and aimed it towards his forehead.

Boink.

"..." Mamura, a light sleeper, opened one eye. "... what." He used one arm to shield his face from Suzume.

"Ma..." She reached out to grab the paper from the ground around him and tossed it towards his forehead again.

Boink.

"Mu..."

She grabbed it again.

Boink.

"Ra!"

By this time, he had woken up, aggravated by the barrage of tiny papers Suzume was beginning to charge at him.

"Suzume." He said in an annoyed tone, sitting up and rubbing his eyes to wake himself up a bit more. "What in the world are you doing?" He looked around to see what she was throwing at him.

Oh.

"Why didn't you tell me someone gave you their number!" Suzume exclaimed, holding the paper up in the air, making a long emphasis on the r. "I thought we were _best_ friends, I thought you tell me everything, because I thought I did, and why did you toss this? Who is this from? Oh don't tell me, is it that girl who served us today? Was it? I mean I think she was cut-"

Suzume's barrage of questions aggravated Mamura even more than her paper ball attack.

"I'm not interested." He cut off, moving to lie down on the couch and to face the wall.

Suzume grabbed a pillow and knocked him on the head.

"Ow."

"Mamura!" Suzume said, still holding the paper in hand. "This is your chance!" She grabbed the back of his shoulders and shook it.

"What's my chance?" He sleepily responded, already getting used to his position and falling back into sleep.

"Am I not the only girl you hang out with?" Suzume said. "I mean, I don't want to lose my chances with our bet or anything, but also am I not the only girl you've ever brought to your house? _Am I_?"

"And?" He responded airily.

"I'm going to call her."

"What?!" Mamura turned around to see the mischievous Suzume grabbing the phone that was on the table and pressing numbers furiously.

Suzume stood and quickly ran to the other side of the room, Mamura's phone in hand. Mamura quickly jumped up from the couch and began to chase after his beloved phone.

"It's ringing!" Suzume twisted and zigzagged in her attempt to elude Mamura's grasp. "Hello?"

Mamura grimaced. "Are you crazy?!" He hissed, lunging towards the brunette. He managed to grab her, both hands wrapped around her petite frame, but she firmly held the phone to her ear.

"Hello?" Suzume struggled to be released from his grasp; however, he was much stronger than her. Luckily for her, and unluckily for him, she was able to still keep the phone up. "Yes, hi!"

"D- don't..." Mamura stuttered, a shade of red creeping up as he held Suzume tightly in the corner of his living room, in his failing attempt.

"Um," At this point, Suzume wasn't sure what she was supposed to do. "You gave my friend your number, and he wants to... talk... to... you..." His grip was tighter, and it was hard for Suzume to hold on to the phone. "One moment!" She turned to face the blond with shimmer in her eyes.

Mamura lowered his head. "What are you doing?" He muttered to her quietly, embarrassment clearly shown on his face, only inches from hers.

Their eyes met, and Suzume could feel her heart beating just a bit faster than it was a few seconds earlier. She held her breath as she saw Mamura's blush growing even darker, as their faces became slightly closer...

She quickly pushed and released herself from his grasp and placed the phone to his ear, both falling to the ground in the process. '_Talk to her!' _She mouthed to Mamura, who shook his head in a failing attempt to regain composure. _'Make a friend.'_

Mamura grunted in annoyance, and spoke on the phone. "Err, hello." He said in a dead tone, and Suzume wanted to face palm him. "I... you gave me your number, yes."

Mamura had always been quite awkward with girls, Suzume had recalled. Every time a girl in class would try to talk to him, it always ended a bit strange and up in the air, since his nervousness and inability to talk to anyone of the opposite gender besides Suzume stunted him.

She listened quietly to his conversation in hopes that at least this phone call would end up successful.

"I'm actually busy." She could hear his dull response. Sigh.

"I'm busy on that day too." ...

"I'm pretty busy, yeah." ... ...

"Maybe it isn't really that great to-" Before Mamura could finish the assumedly dead conversation, Suzume grabbed the phone and covered the bottom so that the girl on the other line wouldn't hear.

Suzume put her ear to the phone. "Hi, err. Actually, I have a couple tickets to the aquarium tomorrow and I can't really make it... it would be really nice if you and Mamura could go since I was going with him anyways- I think he'd like that." She lied, giving Mamura a thumbs up. "Really? Okay! That would be great. I'll let him know."

She quickly hung up the phone and tossed it back to the blond.

"Um, there!" Suzume gave a strained smile. _I don't think Mamura's happy with this. _"You have a date!"

"..." Mamura laid back onto the carpet floor.

There was a strange silence for a couple of minutes, with Mamura stretched out onto the floor with his hands behind his head, and Suzume sitting down next to him twiddling her fingers.

"Do I really seem desperate for a girlfriend or something?" Mamura finally spoke. "Am I really that hopeless at finding a girl- that you have to call someone for me?"

Suzume sat quietly, continuing to play with her fingers. Truthfully, she didn't know exactly why she called the woman for him in the first place. When she had seen the paper, there was an urge to call her, to listen to the woman, to see how excited she was to know that he had called her.

Was that a terrible case of jealousy?

NO.

No it was not.

It _wasn't._

But if it isn't, then what was it?

Mamura faced her, with a serious look. "It's fine, I'll go with her. Just give back the tickets tomorrow morning."

"I-" Suzume started, but Mamura cut her off.

He gave her a small smile, however it seemed unusually hollow. "Maybe you should just go home for the night?"

Oh, he was hurt. Suzume felt a slight pang in her chest. She wasn't too sure why she ended up calling for him and signing him up for a date, but now that she had done that, it didn't feel so right at all.

"Okay." She decided to let him cool off for the night, and come to apologize the next day. Standing up, she walked to her belongings, and began to put on her coat. She turned to the door, not daring to look back to look at Mamura, and began to open it.

As she walked out the door and began to close it shut, Mamura's words rang through.

"I only wanted to go with you."

Suzume felt another pang in her chest, but this time it was a different feeling.

* * *

"She what?" Inukai said in disbelief, taking a sip of his drink.

Mamura and Inukai were sitting at the counter of a slightly fancy bar, with Inukai just getting off work and still in his salaryman outfit. The bartender stopped by and placed Mamura's drink in front of him.

"Yeah." Mamura nodded, his elbows to the table while reaching for his drink.

Inukai gave a sort of chuckle, patting his friend on the back. "That's Suzume for you. So noble. I'm actually not surprised that she would try to pull a stunt for her precious Mamura, haha." He said. "Don't take it to heart, man. She means no harm."

Mamura turned to glare at him. "I'm not angry!" He mixed his drink with a straw before taking a swig.

It wasn't that he was angry at Suzume that she ended up calling the waitress, scheduled him on a date, and used her aquarium tickets and gave it to them... or maybe it was– but the fact was that he was hurt.

And he was kind of mad that he felt kind of hurt.

Because, not that he would admit out loud, but he felt like his heart had dropped slightly.

Suzume Yosano. This was a girl he had known for years, ever since he had started high school. Although he was never close to any girl that had dared to become friendly with him, she was the only one that had actually gotten through to him.

She was the only one he became close friends with.

She was the only one who he would consider to be his best friend.

The only one he was in love with.

But that was something he would leave a secret.

"You know," Inukai started, motioning for the bartender to bring him another drink. "Why don't you just tell her how you feel, instead of going through this?" He shrugged. "It worked for me and Tsuru."

He gave a face. "We've been friends for ever, and Suzume had always stated that we were best as friends." He explained. "When we dated in high school and we broke up, we didn't talk for a month, and I almost couldn't stand the fact that I had lost her."

Inukai nodded, listening to his friend's words. "She started dating _him_ afterwards, didn't she?"

A slightly strange silence ensued for several seconds.

"I can't forgive that guy." Mamura muttered. "He just came and swept her away, only to leave her behind in the end. She wasn't herself for a while." He said, taking another sip of his drink. "I don't want to see her like that again."

"You're just as noble too, Mamu." Inukai replied.

Mamura shrugged. "I just want her to be happy."

"Then make her happy."

It was a simple suggestion with a complex answer. "Damn it." Mamura set down his drink. "I'll talk to her." He said, standing up and grabbing the coat that hung on the seat he occupied.

"Wait, really?" Inukai jumped up out of his seat as well. "You're gonna do it? You're gonna tell her?"

Mamura nodded. "Maybe." He grabbed his bag, a hint of blush tinting the tips of his ears just thinking of what he was going to say. "Or, yes. I'll do it." He turned to his friend and held him by the shoulders firmly. "Thanks Inukai."

Inukai gave a wink and a thumbs up. "Good luck."

Mamura ran off towards the bar's exit, quickly sliding his coat onto his back. "By the way, congratulations on your engagement!" He said just as the glass doors of the bar closed shut.

His friend grinned.

* * *

Mamura exited the bar and ran off into the direction of their apartment building, only a few blocks away. Thoughts poured into his mind as he raced into the night; it was already 1am and yet he was wide awake now.

Was it selfish of him to tell her? Did he even have the right to do so?

Or was it her right to know that he had loved her all along?

He didn't know.

Frustrated with himself, he pulled out his phone, still on the run towards home. After a moment of hesitance, he fleetly dialed Suzume's number, to check if she was still awake.

He mentally placed a bet, as he waited with the phone ringing.

If Suzume was asleep or didn't answer her phone, he would continue to race towards his apartment but instead he would go to bed, forgetting that he was ever going to tell her.

But, if she had decided to answer his call, he would tell her everything.

How he was glad they had gotten so close during high school, and even closer throughout college.

How he thought she was cutest with a mouth full of sushi.

How he never wanted to see her cry, unless it was during her usual TV melodrama marathons.

How he always wanted to be with her.

How he had always loved her.

How much he loved her.

"Hello?"

Suzume had answered.

It felt like his heart made a strange knocking feeling. Mamura, one block away from the apartment, was almost to his destination, so he wasn't too sure if it was because she had answered, or that he had been running too fast.

"Suzume, I-"

"_Mamura, I'm so sorry about earlier, and you don't have to go if-"_

"It's alright, but there's something I've been meaning to tell you for a while now." He dashed and went around a corner, knowing that the apartment was only a couple minutes away.

"_Huh? Yeah, sure what is it?"_

"I'll tell you when I get there, but you have to know-"

A pause.

"_Hello? Mamura?"_

"Actually, I have to go. I'll call you tomorrow."

Click.

He placed his phone quietly into his bag, and took a deep breath of air.

"Long time no see, Mamura." A deep voice chuckled in front of him.

Mamura took a pause.

"It's been awhile, _sensei._"

* * *

**I keep scrapping chapters. I rewrote this like twice trying to get it right, hopefully this chapter is okay! I enjoyed writing it more than chapter two. Chapter four is pretty much half done unless I scrap it BUT I need to focus on my exam next week. Also someone asked me how many chapters I was aiming for, and I'm aiming for... err 8-10. Unless something comes up. **

***But uh oh, _he's_ back. What will happen now?!**

**I'll see you guys next week. I'm very grateful that you guys are reading!**

**Tsukiaa**


	4. Surprise

**As Time Goes**

chapter four: Surprise

* * *

"Yes!" Suzume jumped into the air happily and ran out of the school.

"I got the job!" She was just finishing up her final week of her teaching internship, and her master teacher was impressed enough to suggest that she should finish up the school year as a real teacher.

She was so excited that she almost tripped running down the stairs. With a bright smile on her face, she pulled out her cellphone and quickly dialed Mamura's number.

"Hello?" His phone immediately picked up.

"Mamura," Her happiness radiated through her phone. "I got it." She could barely contain herself, jumping up and down silently in the street surrounded by students, ignoring their confused looks. "I got the job!"

"Really?" His deep voice was heard. "Congrats. I'm happy for you, Yosano-_sensei_." She could hear him chuckle.

She nodded, even though she knew he wouldn't see it. "Thanks! I feel like my hard work in school is finally paying off." She exclaimed with a huge sigh of relief.

Suzume paused. "So how have you been? You never called me back after that one night. Did something happen?" She continued. "This week was so busy, I didn't get to see you at all! ... oh, and how did that date go?"

"Eh." He replied. "Nothing much."

"What happened?!" Suzume exclaimed. "Or, let's catch up tonight? I don't have anything to turn in tomorrow so we should hang out!"

"Sure, I'm off tomorrow anyways."

It had actually been a whole week since they had last spoken to each other, she mused. They were so busy at times, with him at work and her at school, and sometimes weren't able to really meet up with each other at all.

_A friend can still be a friend no matter how long they stay apart_. Suzume thought to herself after hanging up on Mamura— and it really was true— because she couldn't imagine him not being there permanently.

But it wasn't as if they totally ignored each other. It was a given that they would always text each other on the phone, whether at work or at school, or even just at home.

Strangely, Suzume recalled, Mamura's texts had been a bit... different. Something was probably up, and she wanted to find out.

* * *

Mamura heard the phone click and a dial tone.

He sighed, and laid his head on the stack of papers that resided on his work desk.

"Something up?" A voice popped up, a hand placing a cup of coffee next to the blond. It was Inukai. He patted his friend on the back and leaned on his desk.

"I don't know if I should tell her." Mamura explained dully, his head still flat on his papers.

Inukai shrugged, cupping his own mug and taking a sip. "Dunno. You've been avoiding her all week." He said. "Will it matter if she knew?"

"I just," Mamura started. "I still can't believe he's actually back, out of all the times." He recalled the night he had ran into the old teacher.

"_Sensei." Mamura's voice was as cold as the evening sky that surrounded them. Shishio gave his trademark smile, which made a chill run down Mamura's spine._

"_What brings you here so late?"_

_The blonde felt an old bubble of anger beginning to rise. "I should be asking the same question."_

_The man smiled. "I'm back— for good now." He explained, reaching for something in his coat and pulling out a box of cigarettes. He pulled one and placed it at the corner of his mouth. "I've decided to return."_

_He offered a cigarette to Mamura, who stood still with his brows furrowed. "So you've returned." He repeated. "Is there a reason why you've come to this area?" Mamura asked, but he already knew the answer._

_And he dreaded that answer. _

_Shishio nodded. "I'm here to win her back."_

"So what are you going to do now?" Inukai asked, worried for his blond friend. "I mean—just because you tell her that he's back, it doesn't mean that she's going to choose to go back to him. Suzume's changed, he's changed— _you've_ changed."

Mamura clenched his fist. "There's always that possibility, you know." He said. "When they were together, she was different. She wasn't the same Suzume we knew. I don't want that to happen again."

Inukai nodded, crossing his arms. "I remember, it was if she was holding back from us, and she would always be arguing on the phone with sensei when we would all hang out together..." He paused. "Maybe it would be best to not tell her."

Mamura sat up and rubbed his temples. "But you know I have to." He concluded. "She needs to know."

He decided that he would tell her tonight. Although he was worried that she would fall again, it was her right to know that somewhere around this city that same black-haired man who stole her heart in the first place was back to reclaim it.

* * *

Knock knock knock.

"It's open!" Suzume called out from her bedroom, while in the middle of brushing her hair. "You can come in!"

She heard some shuffled footsteps and the front door closing.

"It must be Mamura." She spoke to herself, while finishing up her hair and quickly putting on her coat. She went outside to greet her friend.

"Aw, Mamura I haven't seen you in a while!" She heard as she walked down the hall. "You're such a good-looking older man now! I might just fall for you." A chorus of laughter ensued.

Suzume peered out into the living room to see Mamura sitting on her couch, surrounded by three nosy girls. He looked as if he had just come straight from work, with his work suit still on and a suitcase lying flat on his lap.

"His hairstyle now is pretty nice; how mature!" Tsuru nodded, agreeing with Kame's earlier comment. "I'm surprised you don't have a girlfriend right now."

"He probably only has his eyes on one person." Yuyuka wistfully commented, also adding, "Although, I heard that he went to the aquarium with some girl he met at some restaurant..."

"What?!" Kame and Tsuru both exclaimed at the same time and crouched near Mamura, startling him. "What happened?! Since when!"

"Err..." Mamura shrugged to the corner of the couch. "Well..."

Suzume jumped to the rescue. "Guys," She said, grabbing Mamura by the arm and pulling him away from the crowd of girls. "Stop pestering Mamura. Look at him! He's stressing out." Mamura gave her a look and she grinned.

"Aw, but Mamura's always fun to hang with." Kame commented.

"Well, we're going out to eat." She replied, tugging Mamura along to the door. "Enjoy finishing the wedding invitations! I'll help out later if you haven't finished everything." She and Mamura disappeared through the front door.

"You just wanted to get out of this!" Yuyuka called out jokingly as the duo disappeared. "That girl..." She made a click noise with her tongue.

Tsuru returned to her seat, grabbing a scissor and beginning to cut out tiny hearts. "I'm still surprised they're not together." She commented. "Especially with everything that happened in high school."

Kame nodded. "Remember that day during our senior year?" She said silently, with sneaky grin. "We should've told her."

Yuyuka shook her head. "But we're not even sure if it _was_ him." She said. "Either way, it's not in our position, really. It's been five years, things might've changed."

A pause.

The trio of girls looked at each other.

"Probably not." Kame broke the silence.

They started giggling and continued on with the creation of the invitations for Tsuru's upcoming wedding.

* * *

It was silent heading towards the restaurant.

They had decided to just walk to a small Chinese restaurant that was just a few blocks from their apartment, however that distance been really, really quiet.

"Is something wrong, Mamura?" Suzume asked once they stopped outside the restaurant, noting that Mamura was even more silent than usual, apparently interested in how grey the concrete ground they stood on looked.

She saw him clench his fist.

Suzume was worried. "Mamura?"

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair and ruffled it. "Let's go inside first and sit down." He moved to walk inside the restaurant.

"What?" Suzume worriedly faced her best friend, grabbing the edge of his coat to stop him from walking any more forward.

Silence. Mamura shuffled around nervously, using his foot to kick a tiny pebble that was in the way of nothing.

"Mamura, what is it?"

He tried to look her straight in the eye. Mamura could feel the worriedness seeping out of her, but he didn't have the courage to look back. So, he closed his eyes and ripped the theoretical bandage off.

"He's back, Suzume."

For some reason, air soon began to be hard to find for Suzume. She let go of his coat and put her hand down to her sides slowly.

"Okay." She took a deep breath in. "And so?"

He looked at her, eyes lit aflame. "I met with him, and he said that he wants to see you again." He said, in a sort of quieted tone. "He wants you."

Suzume gave him a punch on his shoulder.

"And so?" She reiterated, huffing loudly and tightening the scarf around her neck. "He wants me back after leaving me in the dust five years ago? Do you think that I've been waiting for him to come back desperately? Am I stupid?!"

"Err..." Mamura began, rubbing his shoulder. "Well..."

"Mamura," She said with a stern tone. "I won't _dare_ go near him, no matter how hard he wants to try."

Mamura looked at Suzume, who stood firmly in front of him, hands on her hips and a determined look in her eyes. Thoughts buzzed around his mind as their eyes met.

He took a step forward, moving closer to her.

She could feel his warmth as he slowly wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a deep embrace.

"Okay." That was all he could say, holding her in his arms, as if he was protecting her.

* * *

The dinner went pretty smoothly after that, as if nothing had ever happened beforehand.

After catching up and eating a lot of honey walnut shrimp until they had been kicked out due to closing time, they ended up on Mamura's couch to talk even more, with Suzume sprawled on the couch with her head lying on his lap, munching on some chips.

Apparently, Mamura and his date didn't go so well.

"She wanted you to meet her mom?" Suzume said in an astounded voice. "And then?"

Mamura grabbed a chip from the bag she held, and shrugged. "I didn't know what to do." He said, adding: "Her mom was really nice."

Suzume almost spit out her chip in laughter. "I can't believe you met her!" She exclaimed, placing a hand on her face in an attempt to control herself. "Who knew you were so great with girls, huh Mamu?"

"Let's not talk about that." He flicked her on the forehead. "First and last time." He sighed and shrugged.

"Why not? You've already met her mom!" She teased.

Mamura gave her a look. It wasn't fully because she had coerced him to meet his mom, it was probably because the girl mentioned that he seemed to be too "hung over" someone else. But he wouldn't mention that.

He changed the conversation. "So where are they placing you for next semester?" He asked.

She stuck her tongue out. "Well, they want me to teach History next semester, and continue on with being homeroom teacher for the same 6th graders from this year." She said. "I think they've hired a couple more teachers too, so at least I'm not alone."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, a science teacher who came back out of retirement and an English teacher who just came back from America."

Mamura leaned his head back and closed his eyes. "That's good; you can make new friends."

She nodded. "You should visit some time for lunch when next semester comes!" She said excitedly. "The students really liked you last time you came over with snacks. You're the 'cool' older guy to them."

He laughed. "Is that so." He slowly dozed off to sleep. "I'll... probably bring... yeah."

Mamura wasn't much of a late sleeper, and often dozed off if they were at each other's houses. She could see the rise and fall of his chest as he quietly fell asleep.

_This guy._ She thought, with a small smile, and she soon fell asleep too.

* * *

"Miss Yosano!" A young boy came up to the brunette and tugged her on the bottom of her blouse. "Are we going to see you next year?" He gave a little pout as he looked up at her.

She snapped back into reality and smiled, patting him on the head.

"Yes! I'll be your teacher for the next semester as well!" She clenched her fist held it high. She then faced the other students in her class with a determined face. Today was finally the last day for her internship, and next year would be her first day as a real teacher.

She gave a tiny bow. "I hope I wasn't boring as your teacher this semester!" She said. "It was fun! Right? You'll be excited next semester?"

"I mean, you were okay..." A young boy sitting in the corner desk stuck his tongue out at her. "I've had better teachers."

"Ryota!" She reprimanded with a lighthearted voice. "Don't talk to your elders without respect! Do you want me to fail you?" She jokingly pointed to him.

The little boy gave her a mischievous grin. "I'm just kidding, Yosano-sensei." He laughed, along with the other students. "You're always going to be our favorite! I can't wait for next year."

She grinned in return. "Good." She looked at the time. 2:00pm. "Oh, it's already time for you guys to go home. Whoever is in charge of cleaning duty, please don't forget to wash the mop buckets! Dismissed!" She gave a thumbs up towards her students.

As the students began to exit the classroom in a single file line, an elder professor stepped into the classroom, lightly knocking on the door before fully entering to let her know of his presence.

"Miss Yosano?" The man came up to the woman, who was in the process of grabbing her workbooks and other supplies and placing it into a small container. "Are you currently free? Are we able to speak for a moment?"

His voice surprised her. "Oh!" She exclaimed, standing straight up and stretching out her hand to let him shake it, to which he did. "I'm not busy!"

He gave a chuckle. "Since you have been teaching all semester, you've gotten a bit used to your surroundings, no?" Suzume nodded in response. "So, would it be alright to ask you a favor in helping the one of the teachers coming in next year out? Since they'll probably need some help around campus."

"That's fine!" Suzume agreed. "It was a bit hard for me, learning where things were and all. I think that would be very helpful for them!"

The elder teacher smiled. "Thank you! I'll put this in your hands. You don't need to help out Yamada-sensei, since she used to teach here." He said. "But if you would be able to take these files and deliver them to the English teacher? Whenever you're free. His number is on the front of the envelope."

Suzume nodded and grabbed the large manila envelope, which was a bit heavy and full of presumably paper. "I got it, sir! I'm pretty free during this winter break, so I should be able to help."

The teacher gave her a tiny bow of gratitude. "Maybe you can then later show him around campus too."

She smiled and lifted the envelope. "Don't worry, sir! I'll be the best guide he could possibly have!" She reassured him, and he went on his way.

_I guess I'll probably head over right away._ Suzume thought, locking her room and exiting the school building. _I wonder where this teacher lives. _She peered down at the envelope and scanned for the phone number.

Pulling out her phone, she dialed the numbers as stated on the manila envelope and waited as it rang.

After a couple of rings, Suzume heard the other side.

"Hello?" The teacher answered the phone.

Suzume froze.

"Hello?" He answered again.

She quickly hung up the phone and walked towards the direction of her house, deciding that she wasn't free at all this week.

* * *

**So caught up with summer classes! Sorry. I also have a habit of scrapping portions of my chapters because I'm not that satisfied. I recall during the last chapter's notes I said that I was half done- I ended up scrapping the whole thing and rewriting it. Oops! Hopefully you guys enjoy this one though! Let me know how it goes!**

**Thank you to everyone who is reading this! I'm grateful.**

**Tsukiaa**


	5. Tonkatsu

**As Time Goes**

chapter five: Tonkatsu

* * *

_Damn it._

_What should I do?_

_I should just go home._

_But I need to deliver these files!_

_I could always give it to someone else._

_But the teacher assigned this duty to me!_

A million thoughts buzzed around Suzume's mind. After all these years, she still couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that _he_ was actually back.

_What should I do?_

She shuddered and took a deep breath of air, listening only to the sound of her shoes hitting the concrete floor.

Suzume wasn't too sure how she would react if she saw his face. He had left her in a bad place when he decided to leave her behind to follow his pursuits.

She recalled the nights lying in bed, with a sense of loneliness enveloping around her. The nights she would recall wondering why he would just leave her behind.

Even so, when he had left she had still strong feelings for him lingering. Was it a strong feeling of love?

Suzume shrugged and shook it off, continuing to walk in her hastened pace towards her apartment.

* * *

"Oh wow," Yuyuka brushed Suzume's long brown locks as they sat together in the living room. "So what do you want to do now?" She sat on the edge of the couch, while Suzume sat in solemn silence in front of her on the ground.

Suzume sighed, laying her head back onto Yuyuka's lap. "I'm going to go pay him visit tomorrow. I don't know what I'm going to say."

"Sensei finally came back though, huh." Yuyuka mused. "And he's back for you." She said with an emphasis on 'you'.

"He was the one who chose to leave and break up with me in the first place!" Suzume said in a mute, hushed tone.

"I remember that day pretty clearly, you know." The brunette tugged on the corner of her pajama pants, as she sat with her legs curled up to her chest. "'I don't want the temptation of coming back.' – That's what he said. He didn't want the baggage of having me back here while he was probably having fun in America."

Yuyuka rolled his eyes. "That was a pretty asshole move of him." She clicked her tongue. "But you know, maybe he's changed. I mean, he came back. But either way, you're going to have to meet up with him for school."

Suzume nodded. "Well, I'll figure it out."

The blonde girl shrugged. "It would be better if you were already in a relationship. It would be easier to avoid him." A sly thought popped up. "Why not Mamura?"

"I-" Suzume stuttered. "We're just friends, remember?"

Yuyuka huffed as she tried to untangle one of Suzume's slightly ruffled hair. "Friends? My ass. He's so in love with you that he's drowning in it."

Suzume shook her head, a slight blush tinging on her cheeks in embarassment. "No way! I told you that's impossible. And besides, we have a bet and he agreed to it."

Yuyuka gave her a curious look. "Bet?"

The brunette nodded. "Yeah," She said. "First one to get married wins $10,000." She huffed.

If Yuyuka had been drinking a glass of water, it would have been spat all over the floor.

"Huh?!" She exclaimed, dropping the comb. "But why..." Yuyuka shook her head. "I swear, you two."

Suzume gave her a small shove. "We're friends. Friends!" She said exasperatedly. "He just-"

A knock on the door.

"You can come in!" Yuyuka called out, and a blonde man popped into appearance. "Speak of the devil, Mamura."

Mamura gave a strange look towards the girl, then quickly recovered and pulled out a burgundy coat from behind him. He tossed it to Suzume. "You forgot this in my car last time."

Suzume regained a calm composure and caught it. "I was wondering if I left it at school- thank you!" She exclaimed happily, hugging the coat. "Oh, it smells so nice."

"I washed it earlier when I was finishing up laundry." He stated calmly. "Might as well." Mamura shrugged.

Yuyuka chuckled. "You're such a handy man." She joked with him, waving him off. She gave Suzume a look, who gave a piercing glare in return. "I can't emphasize how helpful you are. Oh—did you bring the ingredients?"

"Yep." He his other hand carried a plastic bag filled with various ingredients.

The blonde woman cheered and stood up from the couch to retrieve the bag from him. "I mean, I'm not that excited about learning how to cook your tonkatsu... or who am I kidding?" She excitedly rushed to the kitchen and opened the plastic bag to pull out the supplies. "The last time Suzume brought leftovers from your house it was _amazing_."

Mamura gave a thumbs up and he walked to the couch to sit. "Glad you liked it." He said. "I didn't bring tonkatsu sauce though, I assumed you have some?"

Yuyuka nodded. "I'll go grab the bottle." She walked to the fridge happily in search for the bottle of sauce.

But alas, as she opened the fridge there was none.

Suzume gulped.

"I'm sorry!" The brunette ran to her friend and held her shoulders. "We didn't have any food yesterday and I was too lazy to cook so..." She paused. "... I ate the rest of it with rice."

"Huh?!" Yuyuka exclaimed. "But—there was half a bottle!"

Suzume grinned sheepishly. "I was really hungry." She explained terribly. "But anyways, since it was my fault... I'll go buy some at the convenience store down the block."

"I'll go with you." Mamura stood up and began to reach for the jacket he had just put away, but Suzume stopped him in his tracks.

She patted him on the shoulder and nudged him back to his seat. "Don't move. I won't take that long, and either way you already went out of your way to buy the other ingredients for us." She said. "I'll buy the sauce, and you and Yuyuka can start so by the time I get back it'll be almost done!" Suzume winked.

Yuyuka stuck out her tongue. "Suit yourself, lazy. You just don't want to cook."

"Exactly!" Suzume grinned and put on the coat that she had just gotten back on. "I'll be back soon."

Mamura shrugged. "Suit yourself." He said non-chalantly. "Try not to get kidnapped."

She gave a sarcastic sigh. "I'll try not to!" She placed a hand on her forehead to feign fainting. "Enjoy!"

The blonde duo watched as Suzume quickly disappeared out the door.

"Let's get to work." Mamura calmly stated, walking to the sink to wash his hands before prepping. "Don't forget to wash your hands."

"Hmmmm, Mamura?" Yuyuka slid towards Mamura, a sneaky grin growing on her face. She tapped him on the shoulder quietly.

Mamura turned to her, a solemn stare meeting her sparkling eyes. "Yes?"

"I heard from Suzume that you're doing a bet." She started. "That whoever would get married first wins ten grand."

"Yep." He turned to the sack of vegetables he had brought in with him and grabbed a head of cabbage. "Tonkatsu is really good with shredded cabbage."

"Isn't it a waste of money if you both marry other people?" Yuyuka pushed, leaning closed to Mamura, whose ears began to grow a hint of pink.

Mamura grabbed a knife and held it up to the cabbage, angling it in a certain way. "You have to cut the cabbage really thinly." He said, in an attempt to move the conversation elsewhere.

"Aren't you in love with her?" She noticed the blush on the tips of his ears creeping towards his cheeks.

Mamura grunted, thinly slicing the cabbage while ignoring her attempts to pry his emotions open. "After I finish slicing everything, we need to blanch it."

Yuyuka leaned in closer. "Aren't you afraid of losing her to him?"

He dropped the knife and turned to the blonde woman.

"But she doesn't love me."

Yuyuka could see the hurt in his eyes.

And she could feel it sting.

There was a moment of silence as she wondered what had happened between the two that would've caused this sort of situation. Why aren't they together? Why are they denying everything?

Was it that time...?

Mamura quickly gained composure and picked up the knife, giving Yuyuka small smile.

"I'll finish the cabbage, and you can go ahead and prepare the pork, okay?" He spoke as if nothing had ever fazed him.

She quietly watched as the blonde soon returned into his usual, unemotional self.

* * *

Suzume trudged down the stairs of her apartment. "I can't believe the elevator is broken..." Tiredly, she stomped down the concrete steps, passing by each apartment floor in the process. "All this for sauce."

She wasn't entirely keen on going to the store to grab tonkatsu sauce for their dinner, but she felt the need to disappear before Yuyuka mentioned anything embarrassing or prying.

She was initially worried about leaving Mamura and Yuyuka alone together, however she deduced that since they barely speak more than 10 words each time they met up, they would be fine by themselves.

She ruffled through her purse as the finally reached the first floor of the apartment complex and walked towards the last set of rooms before she would reach the entrance. "Where did I put my wallet..."She mumbled to herself as she dug through the massive amount of useless items that she carried.

She noticed a door that happened to be slightly ajar and thought it was odd, but kept on walking, too occupied with the search of her wallet.

"Oh, found it!" She silently cheered, holding it up. "Now one more block to the store." She sighed to herself and walked towards the exit.

Before she could reach it, she noticed a loud coughing noise. It wasn't the usual cold- sort of cough, but a loud, wheezing cough. It was coming through the slightly open door.

"This is what you get for smoking still!" Suzume heard a woman exclaim loudly. "This is what you get!" The voice boomed louder.

Hmm? The voice sounds familiar.

Even though Suzume thought it was not in her place to see what was going on, before she knew it, her head was slightly sticking through the apartment door that was open.

"Ummm... hello?" Suzume timidly called out. "Is everyone okay in here?"

The sound of a dish fell to the floor. "Um..." The voice called out from another room. "We're okay!" Footsteps were heard, and more wheezing.

"I _told_ you!" Suzume could hear the woman sigh loudly. "I swear, you're going to kill yourself because of this. Someone is even here to complain." The woman walked to where Suzume had popped her head out. "I'm soooo sorry ma'am, my friend here just came in and-"

Both women gasped as they both met gazes.

"Tsubomi?!"

"Suzume?!"

Another crash was heard, and before Suzume could even react, she saw a head of black hair poke out from the other room as well.

"You-" Cough. "I've-" Cough. "Found you." Cough.

It wasn't the best situation to find him again—and she wasn't even really planning on meeting him, but there he was in all his sick, coughing, and a bit scruffy-looking glory.

Suzume found herself staring straight into Shishio's eyes.

He was back.

And now he was in front of her.

"You're..." Her breath hitched and she clutched her wallet tightly to her chest. "Welcome back."

She felt her heart beat just a little bit faster.

* * *

**WAT. Sorry for the lateness. I was finishing up my summer classes, and I procrastinated too much on studying so I crammed my life out. But yes, e****njoy! Let me know what you think. This should be about 10 chapters; hopefully you guys are still interested in the end. I hope it's not too slow, but I'm trying to make it as real as I can. Emphasis on trying. It should pick up much more within the latter half, don't you worry! ^_~ **

**I really appreciate you all!**

**Tsukiaa**


	6. Elevator

**As Time Goes**

chapter six: elevator

edit: i accidentally a continuity, oop. fixed though! (ish)

* * *

"You know, one of Suzume's favorite dishes is tonkatsu too."

"I know."

Mamura and Yuyuka sat quietly on the dinner table, with three plates of tonkatsu dishes prepared beautifully in front of them. However, Suzume was nowhere to be found.

"You prepared the dishes really nicely, Mamura. She'll love it."

"Thanks."

Another bout of awkward silence ensued, with Mamura playing with his fork quietly on his corner, and Yuyuka tugging on the ends of her hair at the other.

Finally, Yuyuka couldn't take it anymore and pulled out her phone. "Where is she? It's been more than an hour since we've finished cooking." She muttered. "It doesn't take that long to buy a bottle of sauce."

As she was dialing Suzume's number, Mamura stood up and grabbed his coat.

"I'll find her."

Yuyuka stared at the man in front of her. It had been years since she had a crush on him, but seeing him in that state made her realize why she had once liked him in the first place. He was a quiet yet determined person, and he was one of the most supportive people she had ever met.

And although he didn't look that way with his stoic expression, she knew that he was very worried about where Suzume was.

As he turned towards the door to leave, a petite hand held him back. Yuyuka faced Mamura and gave him a smile.

"You know, I'm rooting for you."

He gave her a look. "I'm not too sure what that means."

"Just go and find her- and don't let her go!" Her words echoed double meanings. She slightly pushed him towards the door and grabbed her utensils. "If you're not back in 15, I'm going to start eating without you guys. Screw the sauce."

He smirked, and soon left out the door in search for the girl who held the tonkatsu sauce, and as his heart as well.

* * *

Suzume sat quietly at the end of the couch, while Shishio sat on the opposite side. He stared intently towards her; however she was too afraid of looking back.

Why was he back now of all times?

She had already begun to relinquish any underlying feelings that she may have had for him, but this was not helping. And why did he want to come back for her? It was already 5 years since the last time he left.

Tsubomi had volunteered to buy the sauce for Suzume while the duo were allowed to catch up, so the room bounced with silence without the bubbly woman's encouragement to keep talking.

Finally, Shishio decided to speak.

"So." He cleared his throat.

Suzume stared straight towards the TV Tsubomi owned. The news channel was playing, but it was on mute.

"Suzume, I—" Shishio began. "I know this isn't excusable, but I would like for you to hear me out."

How many times has this happened before? She would listen to his reasoning and in the end fall back into his hands, and a cycle would begin. It never failed, and yet—

Her heart skipped a tiny beat.

"Okay." With her arms crossed, she stared at the black haired man in front of her. His eyes were full of relief as he took a breath.

"I've always wanted to apologize." He started, his eyes now hiding from her view as he looked down onto the floor. "I should've never left."

Suzume continued to listen.

"When I was in America, this whole time, I was thinking of you." He spoke quietly. "I have always regretted leaving you behind, because after all that time I realized that I truly want you by my side."

He reached for her hand and looked her in the eye with a sterner, more serious expression appearing.

"I wanted to ask you if we could give it another try."

"I..." Suzume pulled her hand away, and broke her gaze from him.

"Or at least a cup of coffee?"

She sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck. "It's just..."

"I still love you."

Suzume held her breath.

* * *

Mamura quietly entered the supermarket in search for the small brunette woman.

He wandered through the aisles in search for the sauce section, wondering if she had been caught up deciding whether or not she should get the mild or spicy version. He recalled the last time they had spent about an hour or so deciding whether she wanted red, yellow, or green bell peppers for dinner.

They ended up bringing all three.

He chuckled to himself as he moved on to the next aisle.

"She should be here..." He mumbled to himself as he looked at all the various sauces that surrounded him in that aisle.

He looked around for a petite long-haired brunette, only to find a slightly taller, short-haired lady he recognized from long ago.

_I've seen her before_, he thought to himself, _but I'm not too sure where_.

He shrugged and walked beside her; she happened to be standing near the sauces Suzume wanted to buy. However, Suzume was nowhere to be found.

Also, the tonkatsu sauce just so happened to be sold out.

"Guess she went to another convenience store." Mamura sighed, beginning to pull out his phone. "Why didn't I call her first?" He grumbled.

Before he could dial, the short-haired woman tapped him on the shoulder. He turned to face her. "?"

"Hey," She grinned sheepishly. "Sorry to bother, but do you happen to know where to find the tonkatsu sauce?" She pointed to the aisles. "I don't see any, but I'm not sure if I'm just blind."

Mamura shook his head. "Yeah, I think they're sold out." He said. "I was actually down here to find some for myself."

She sighed. "What a bummer. I was supposed to grab some for my friend, but I guess I'm going to go ahead and bring her the bad news. Thanks anyways!" They both exchanged nods, and went on their way.

Tsubomi turned towards the exit but stopped in her tracks. She faced Mamura, who was about to dial his phone once more.

"Have I met you before?" She quipped, stepping back to face him.

He gave her a curious look. "I'm not too sure either."

She made a humming noise. "Hmmmmmm." She clicked her tongue. "Well, maybe this will refresh your memory, but I'm Tsubomi."

A hand outstretched in front of Mamura.

"Mamura." He said quietly, their hands meeting in the middle.

She ruffled her hair. "I swear, that name sounds so familiar. But I can't put my finger on it at all! Did we go to the same school?" Tsubomi paused. "Then again, you look like you could be my son."

He quietly laughed.

"Or, do we work together?" She questioned. "Probably not. But I feel like I have seen you before."

He shrugged. "I live in the apartment complex nearby."

Tsubomi's eyes sparkled. "Oh! I do too! That's probably why." She laughed. "And here I was thinking we had met somewhere special, like a festival or a concert."

He gave her a small smile. "Same." He pulled out his phone. "Sorry to interrupt, but I've got to call a friend."

Tsubomi could see that he seemed worried about something, so she gave him a thumbs up. "Sure thing, Mamura! It was nice to meet you though!" They both reached out to shake hands once more. "I've got to bring my friend the bad news as well. See you around!"

They both turned in the opposite direction and walked away.

_I swear—I've seen him somewhere else._

_I've seen her somewhere else, I think._

"Damn it." Mamura muttered to himself as he tried to unlock his phone. His phone was dead. "Where is she?"

* * *

"Suzume?"

"Y... yes?"

"Where are you?!" Yuyuka exclaimed on the phone. "I've been trying to call your phone for the last thirty minutes! Did you see Mamura? Why are you whispering?"

Suzume's voice hitched. "Err, I met with a friend so I wasn't able to."

Yuyuka's voice was full of curiosity. "A friend?"

"I'll tell you later."

She could hear Yuyuka huff loudly on the phone. "Well, hurry up home! Mamura isn't even back from looking for you, and the food is getting so cold! I'm not going to wait any longer!"

"Sorry! I'll be back soon." Suzume quietly responded and hung up her phone.

It had been approximately five minutes since Shishio had dropped the l-bomb on her. She had eventually ran out the door in shock and sat on the bench outside Tsubomi's apartment.

He still loves me?

Her heart skipped a tiny beat as she tried to regain the composure she had lost.

What am I supposed to do?

Before she had ran out the door, he had given her an invitation.

"_I want to try again, and I want to know your response." He said in a calm tone. "I'll be waiting next Sunday at the aquarium we visited once."_

_He looked at her._

"_Please."_

Suzume shook her head and ruffled her hair until she felt like it looked like an unruly sheep.

"Suzume!" Tsubomi ran up to her. "I'm sorry, I couldn't find your sauce- What are you doing? Why's your hair so messy?" She used her hands to help the younger girl restyle her hair.

Suzume nervously spoke. "Err, nothing." She said, cutting the conversation in half. "And it's okay, I guess I'll just bring the bad news to my friends. But I have to go! I'm running late!" She hurriedly sped towards the elevator.

"Okay... bye?"

She ran quickly to the elevator and hurriedly pressed on the buttons, with a deep breath. "Please, please make this work." She gritted her teeth and furiously pushed on the buttons. "And please don't come after me." She imagined the teacher running after her with baited breath.

After a few seconds of pushing, the elevator light button flickered on, and her mind slowly calmed down.

The relationship with her and Shishio was difficult to start with, and had grown considerably difficult as time grew on.

Had she remained friends, would they have been closer? It seemed like the crash during high school happened after they had decided that they were going to date. Their relationship ruined everything.

The elevator soon opened and she quickly ran inside. "Please don't come, please don't-" She watched in anticipation as her the heavy elevator doors began to close on her.

Before the elevator could close, a hand stuck out to open it.

_Oh no._

"Suzume?" She could hear the relief in the man's voice. Her heart rose in relief as well.

"Mamura!" She piped in, a smile growing on her once worried face. "Where'd you go? I heard you went looking for me." She punched him on the shoulder as he stepped next to her, the elevator doors closing.

"I should be asking the same thing to you," He slumped against the elevator wall. "Where were you?" He said while eyes concentrated on the stain on his left shoe.

"What's it to know?" She jokingly responded. "I was held hostage."

He turned from his slumped pose to give her a look. "That's not funny."

Suzume grinned and stuck her tongue out. "Never know, what if I was? Would you be worried, hmm?" She teased. "What would you-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Mamura leaned to place his head on her shoulders. "Of course I'd be worried." He said what Suzume thought was a very manly tone. "I wouldn't stop searching for you, stupid."

Suzume could feel her face suddenly heat up. "..."

Mamura continued. "You were gone for a long time."

"Sorry, I got caught up with an old friend," She spoke, failing to mention the name of the old friend. "I didn't answer any calls because I left my phone on mute."

He sighed and got up from his position on her shoulder, and returned to slumping on the wall. They both stood in the elevator in silence.

Mamura was so worried about her, and he had finally found her—she had only been distracted and was with a friend.

Even so, losing for even just one moment made him almost lose his mind. He scratched his head in stress after all the worries.

He didn't want to lose her. Not anymore. Not at all.

Mamura clenched his fist and decided to speak.

"I want to tell you something."

He paused.

"No, I need to tell you something."

Suzume took a glance towards him, and saw him look at her with the fiercest eyes that she hadn't seen in a long while.

"Mamura?"

"Do you remember when I told you that it was impossible for me to fall in love with you?" He stepped towards her. "Do you remember how much you wanted to know the answer?"

Her heart skipped another beat. "Yes, but-"

Mamura leaned in towards her and pressed his lips against hers, wrapping his arms softly around her tiny frame.

Suzume dropped her phone in the process, closing her eyes to reciprocate and losing herself in the moment.

However, her conscience kicked in and she quickly released their lock.

"Mamura, what are you doing?" She hushed, in shock that he had actually kissed her.

He looked at her intensely. "Suzume, it's not that I won't fall in love you." He spoke, his face inches from her, so much that she could feel the heat of him around her.

"It's not even that I can't fall in love you." He continued, his lips moving towards her once more. "It's because—"

She didn't want to lose him. Her relationship with Shishio had gone downhill once they had decided to become lovers.

Mamura was the closest thing to her, the one who she held most dear.

No, she didn't want to lose him at all.

And thus...

... she panicked.

"Stop!" A tear rolled down her eye, and Mamura stopped in his tracks. "Mamura, I don't want to hear it."

"Suzume, I—" He tried to continue, but she interrupted him.

"If you continue your sentence, we can't be friends anymore." Another tear fell down; her voice shaky. "So please... don't let me lose my best friend."

He slowly pulled back from her, and returned to his corner, a heavy cloud now arising between them.

"Okay."

As the tension floated heavily around them, the elevator doors finally chimed.

As if it was perfect timing, Suzume's phone on the floor began to vibrate. Before Suzume could move to reach it, Mamura tried to do the decent thing and leaned down to pick it up for her.

Unfortunately, he was able to see the '_Shishio_' on her caller ID.

* * *

**ruh roh**

**sorry, i've been so busy with school due to being president of my organization, AND internship. ugh, internship.**

**let me know if it sucks or not because I haven't been able to write well recently. :(**

**Tsukiaa**

**edit: to the anon- yes Suzume is 23**


	7. In Ten Years

**As Time Goes**

chapter seven: In Ten Years

* * *

"I'm not saying that it's your fault."

"Okay."

"But it is your fault."

Yuyuka wistfully flipped through her hair. "Now everything is weird." She said. "He won't even help us with dinner anymore. Do you know how I feel, eating your 'home-cooked' meals for three weeks straight?" She made a face.

Suzume huffed. "I-" She crossed her arms. She and Yuyuka stood in front of their old high school, both wrapped tightly with warm coats and scarves around their necks. "He's my friend."

"A friend who's heart you've _tortured_." Yuyuka rebutted, without even batting an eye. "I mean, how could you ever go back to _Shishio_. After all that 'girl-moves-on-in-life' sort of drama cliché... here you are."

Suzume wrapped the scarf around her neck her even tighter. "It's not like that." She said. "Me and Shishio aren't even dating. We're just... talking. And Mamura is just my friend! I know he was just caught up in the moment that time. It's not like he's been in love with me forever. He's just thinking that now. And I don't want to ruin our friendship."

The blonde woman rolled her eyes. "Sure." She said. "In other news, water _isn't_ wet. Mamura barely said a word to you during graduation last week." She grabbed her mug of hot cocoa and took a small sip. "That's the most me and Tsuru have heard him speak to us since high school."

"I—" Suzume crossed her arms and walked faster into the old building.

"You brought Shishio!" Yuyuka pointed out, tailing along behind her. "No wonder why the poor boy was so off."

Suzume gave Yuyuka a narrowing look. "Mamura and I have been friends since high school, and that hasn't changed." She spoke in a slightly louder tone. "I told you, I don't want to ruin that at all—let's just go inside and meet everyone." She tugged Yuyuka inside.

They entered the classroom that was filled with familiar faces. "Look," Yuyuka whispered into Suzume's ear. "He's not even here."

Suzume gave her a little pinch on the side and hushed her. "He's on a business trip in Nagano, remember?" She hissed. "Now, shh. Behave."

Yuyuka gave her a sly grin, and they both found seats next to Tsuru and Kame. Kame gave them a grin. "You made it!" She said happily, clasping her hands together. "I'm excited to see what I put in our time capsule. I kind of... forgot what I wrote."

Tsuru nodded, and Suzume and Yuyuka both followed suit. "Same here."

"You probably wrote about your future husband." Suzume joked, and everyone gave a snicker, looking at the quiet Inukai who sat across from them.

Tsuru turned a dark shade of red. "I probably did."

Yuyuka laughed. "I'm sure we'll probably be surprised about what we wrote." She said. "I'm a bit saddened that Mr. Kobayashi is retiring to the United States next month, but at least we get to see these letters earlier than expected!"

They all agreed, and remained gossiping and catching up on life until Mr. Kobayashi made his entrance. The girls silenced their chatter, and whispered amongst themselves until he began to speak.

"Hello class," Mr. Kobayashi said, a weary old grin growing on his face as he scanned the room to refresh his mind. "It's nice to see how you've all grown into such mature adults." In his hands were stacks of envelopes, a bit browned and aged from years of sitting.

"Now I'm sorry to say that I will be giving these to you a little bit earlier than expected," He said in a mellow manner, "But I hope you read the words the 16-year-old 'you' had written, and evaluate it against the 'you' right now. Reflection is key!"

Everyone cheerfully gave him a round of applause.

Kame nudged her friends. "I've always loved his class." Suzume nodded in agreement, staring at the envelopes he was holding.

Although he had called them 'time capsules', they were actually envelopes that were placed in a basket right behind his desk. No one dared to touch them; Mr. Kobayashi had told them that it would ruin the surprise had they chosen to change it.

He began to walk around the room to pass out the letters. One by one, each of his old students reclaimed their old letters.

"I can't wait to open mine!" Kame exclaimed, tearing her aged envelope open—almost tearing the letter in the process. She quickly scanned her eyes through her letter, a glint in her eye.

She looked up at the others, who were also scanning through their own letters.

"What'd you write?" She questioned them all. "I told myself that I wanted to become the world's greatest accountant." She laughed to herself. "I mean, I do have my certification now. Does that count?" Kame looked over at Tsuru, whose face was once again red.

She grinned. "I bet Tsuru just wrote about Inukai." To which Tsuru nodded in agreement.

"I wrote 'I wish Togyuu would walk off the face of the earth', among other things." Yuyuka giggled to herself as she continued to read her letter, which seemed to be more than a few pages long.

Suzume grunted and finished reading her letter. "I just wrote about food and basically nothing else." She sighed, leaning back on her chair. "I expected that though." She folded her letter up and placed it into the envelope.

As they all began to discuss their letters, the girls were interrupted by their old teacher.

"I'm sorry," Mr. Kobayashi began. "But would you happen to know where Mamura is?"

Suzume nodded her head. "Unfortunately, he had business to attend to in Nagano this whole week. He left yesterday."

"Ah, is that so." The old man lifted his finger to readjust his glasses. "Suzume, you were close to him in high school, yes? Are you still close now?"

Yuyuka coughed with intention, and Suzume shot her a look before returning her gaze to her teacher. "Yes, he's my neighbor."

His eyes lit up. "Excellent!" He said, pulling out a blue envelope from the stack of other envelopes. "I think this may be his envelope. I'm not too certain, however this looks like his handwriting..."

On the envelope, which happened to be torn slightly on the side yet taped together in a hasty manner, were the words 'in 10 years'.

At that moment, Yuyuka, Kame, and Tsuru's eyes lit up.

"... I'm not sure why he had forgotten to place his name on the envelope, but I strictly told everyone to do so before turning it in..." He sighed, shaking his head in nostalgic disappointment. "He was even my star pupil."

"Oh yes, that's his handwriting for sure." Suzume nodded, and grabbed the envelope from him, glancing at it. "I'll be sure to give it to him when he gets back! Thank you!" She gave Mr. Kobayashi a small bow and he soon walked away to converse with the other students.

Suzume's soft smile turned into a sneaky grin. "I'm tempted to read Mamura's." She said, with a slight cackle. "I wonder what he wrote about? He probably just turned in an empty sheet of paper, or wrote something terrible about me..." She gave a glinted laugh, trying to place the envelope into the light to get a sneak peek.

Suzume's phone rang before the girls moved to stop her.

"Hello?"

"_Hello Chun-chun."_

"Oh right _right_, I'm sorry!" Suzume quickly stood from the chair. "I'll be heading there now. I'm going to be a little bit late!" She patted down her skirt to flatten it out and fixed her scarf, mouthing to her friends.

"I'll see you later!" She rushed away and out the door.

Kame sighed. "Shishio again?" She muttered. "We never get to see her anymore because of him!" Yuyuka nodded and sighed.

Tsuru nodded as well, but soon spoke with a hushed voice.

"But you saw that right? That taped corner."

Yuyuka and Kame's eyes met, and they both turned to Tsuru as well. They agreed, leaning their heads together in a quiet hush.

"So it _was_ Mamura."

* * *

"I'm sorry I'm so late!" Suzume ran through the doors, and quickly scanned for Shishio, who sat calmly at a corner table at a fancy restaurant. "The train took so much stops so even though I left earlier..." They were at a far district from her apartment, and relying on public commerce made Suzume really late.

Shishio shook his head, and motioned for her to sit down. "Not a problem. They're also running late too so I was the earliest." He grabbed her coat and placed it on the back of her chair. "But they salad is already here, if anything."

She hastily sat down and settled down. "They?" She inquired, wondering what he was talking about. She had thought that this was just a fancy date between the two.

Not that they were dating.

Before Shishio could answer, a group of guys grabbed Shishio from behind and pat him on the back simultaneously.

"Satsuki!" The group exclaimed, moving to sit around the table both Suzume and Shishio sat on. "We haven't seen you since you came back from America!"

Shishio chuckled as they all got comfortable in their seats—at least, everyone but Suzume.

As they began to reminisce about their pasts, and their recent travels, Suzume leaned towards Shishio and nudged him. "Um, what's this?" She questioned quietly. "They're all dressed so fancy too."

Shishio leaned back, giving her a swift kiss on her cheek. "I wanted you to meet my friends." He calmly stated, grabbing her hand from under the table and giving it a small squeeze.

"Okay." Suzume nodded hesitantly, and shook her hand off from his grasp. She took her fork and began to dig into the salad. "It would've been nice if you had mentioned that they were coming though so I could be prepared." She mentioned. "I could've dressed nicely too."

He gave her a smile. "Well okay, but I don't think I need to tell you everything beforehand, do I?"

She paused at his words, turned to give him a look. Suzume gave a sardonic, cheerful smile. "Same to you." She placed a mouthful of greens into her mouth and returned her gaze to her salad.

An hour or so passed, and Suzume soon began to become comfortable with his friends whom she found to be very cheerful, and she was able to follow along with their jokes, even though they were a bit older than her—they were all Shishio's old college classmates.

"That's so cool!" Suzume said excitedly, taking a sip of her fancy cocktail. She leaned closely towards the table. "You guys sound like you have the best vacations. I can't imagine Shishio like that." She gave a woozy grin towards Shishio, who gave the same expression back.

One of his buddies, Tomo, placed an arm around her shoulder. "I mean," He beamed, "You'll see soon, as his wifey!" He nudged Shishio, who sat beside her.

Hm? "Oh, what did you say?" Suzume almost choked on her drink. "I thought you said as his wife." She laughed it off, rubbing her neck to help prevent her from coughing.

Tomo smiled widely, an alcohol-based blush appearing all over his face. "Well, Shishio said-" He was stopped by Shishio, who placed a hand on Tomo's shoulder to stop him.

"I was going to announce the surprise," Shishio interrupted. "But I guess Tomo already got the ball rolling." He pushed his hair back to fix it and slowly got up, a tube glass of champagne in hand.

Suzume sat dumbfounded as she looked up at her old teacher's face. He had a fork in another hand and used it to tap the champagne glass quietly, gathering his other friends' attention.

"Woot." Suzume heard one of his friends quietly cheer.

Shishio cleared his throat. "I just want to take this moment," He said, staring straight into Suzume's eyes. "To tell Suzume that she is the most beautiful person I have ever seen." He smiled. "And that I love you."

A barrage of applause erupted throughout the restaurant—everyone's attention had been captured.

Suzume clasped her hands together, not knowing how to react to the attention she was receiving. "T- Thank you..." She mumbled.

Shishio gave her a grin, and stretched his hand out so that she would be able to stand up. She timidly stood up, almost tripping on Shishio as she stood beside him. "I also want to take this moment," He gave her shimmered gaze, and cleared his throat. His friends gave another cheer.

"I want to take this moment to ask you to marry me."

* * *

_Yuyuka, Kame, and Tsuru leaned on the balcony railings. _

"_Suzume needs to hurry up." Yuyuka sighed loudly, her gaze never leaving her phone. "I'm hungry. I thought she was the fastest girl in our class? I asked for a simple onigiri!"_

_Kame shook her head, opting to sit down on the balcony wall instead of standing. "She just left fifteen minutes ago. There's probably a line! Be patient." Her words only made Yuyuka sigh more in frustration._

"_Maybe something came up?" Tsuru wondered. "I'm kind of worried. Should we check up on her?" She began to head towards the door. "Let's go?_

"_I'm staying. You can go." Yuyuka stated firmly, placing her phone in her pocket and crossing her arms. "She lost the bet earlier so she gets the food! I'm sure she hasn't been kidnapped or anything."_

"_C'mon, let's just check up on her!" Kame grinned, heading towards Tsuru—but not before dragging the begrudged Yuyuka along. "Should we get our wallets in class though first? Just in case she's stuck at the cafeteria short on cash." Tsuru agreed, and they both continued to tag Yuyuka along._

"_I told you-" Yuyuka hissed as she was dragged through the hallway and into their classroom. "I just want to stay!"_

"_Stop being a baby." Kame stuck her tongue out and grabbed the wallet under her desk. "I should have enough money on me to cover us all in case Suzume can't. Let's just go now?"_

_Yuyuka stepped towards her desk and grabbed hers as well. "Well," She sighed, shrugging her shoulders. "I guess I'll also buy a soda or something while we're there."_

_They both met at the front of the class near the teacher's desk and nodded in unison. "Let's go?" Kame said, looking at Tsuru, who remained quiet standing at her desk. "Tsuru, you ready?"_

_Tsuru stood silently, something in hand._

"_Tsuru?" Yuyuka called out. "You okay?"_

"_I think..." Tsuru began to speak. "I think someone put this in the wrong desk." She turned to her friends, holding out a piece of filler paper._

_Kame and Yuyuka walked towards their friend, whose desk was at the back row of the classroom. "What's that?" Kame asked, tugging the paper from Tsuru's hand, allowing both her and Yuyuka to read it._

"_Woah." Kame could only breathe._

"_Who wrote this?" Yuyuka whispered._

_Tsuru shook her head. "I don't really look at people's writings so I wouldn't know." She said, rubbing her head sheepishly. "But, this letter..." _

_It was one of the letters that they had to make a couple years earlier for Kobayashi-sensei's writing class. They were each assigned to write a letter to their future self. _

_Maybe write about what they were thinking of at the moment, what they're thinking of doing in the future, something like that—but the teacher stated only one thing:_

"_As long as you're able to reflect on it. Reflection is key!"_

_Although very brief, this letter definitely did reflect._

"_I feel kind of uncomfortable reading something kind of personal..." Tsuru noted, grabbing the letter from Kame and folding it into the position it originally was in. _

_Kame and Yuyuka both agreed silently, until the brunette added: "It relates to us though—or our friend at least."_

_Yuyuka nodded. "Hmmm... yeah. I'm curious." She said. "I'm sure this person will come back for the letter; they probably realized that they didn't put it in the proper desk."_

_Kame gave a sly grin, and grabbed the innocent Tsuru and linked her arm-in-arm. "Shall we step out into the hallway and watch for whoever will come in?"_

_Albeit Tsuru was a bit guilty, they all nodded in unison and quickly darted back out into the hallway behind a storage cabinet while sitting in an attempt to be discreet._

"_Hopefully they come soon!" Kame excitedly hissed to her friends, who promptly shushed her back. "Okay, okay."_

"_I wonder..." Yuyuka mused to herself, however didn't speak any more of it as they all sat with inquisitive eyes in anticipation._

_Soon enough, they heard a door from the other side of the classroom leading to the outside shut. _

"_Guys," Kame whispered. "Do you think he's come back? What if it's him!" She clapped her hands silently in excitement. "What are we gonna say! Are we gonna tell Suzu-"_

_Yuyuka placed a hand on her mouth, still crouched behind the side of the cabinet. "Shhh!" She said. "Let's just quietly sneak towards the windows and peek inside, okay?" They nodded in agreement, and began to sneak towards the classroom window._

_But before they were able to stick their heads up to see who was inside, Suzume popped up with their food._

"_Sorry I'm late!" Suzume exasperatedly said, dropping to her knees in an overdramatic fashion. "The line was too long. It's curry bread day, that's why!" She grinned and picked up the two bags she was holding up towards her friends. "I got your food though!"_

_Soon, a door was heard again, slammed shut. The three girls quickly stuck their heads up to look into their window, but the student had already ran away._

"_Nooooo!" Kame was on her knees as well, lifting her fists to the air. "He went through the other door!" Tsuru lowered her head in overdramatic despair and shook it._

_Suzume confusedly looked at her friends, who seemed to be all devastated by a window. "What's going on guys...?"_

_Yuyuka stood up, determined, and rushed to open the door to the classroom. "No!" She stomped towards the other side of the class, which had the other door leading outside. Tsuru and Kame quickly followed suit._

"_They can't be that far!" She muttered to herself in concentration, opening the door and peering outside._

_It was Sarumaru and a couple of upperclassmen._

"_Sarumaru?" Yuyuka said in a curious tone. "What are you guys doing here?"_

_Sarumaru shrugged. "Just killing time before soccer practice. We were just going now though, what's up girls?" He gave Kame a wink, to which she grimaced._

"_We were just looking for someone who came in." Kame said, while pretending to gag. "But I guess that was you."_

_Sarumaru shook his head. "Naw, I was just here concentrating on my food." He stated. "Curry bread day, you see."_

_The girls lowered their heads in disappointment. Suzume finally followed suit, and came out through the same door. "What's going on guys? Tell me!" She poked her friends on the shoulders._

"_It's nothing, I guess." Kame shrugged, and the girls all turned around to enter the classroom again. "Let's go back to the other side and eat."_

"_Okay..." Suzume shook her head in confusion and went back inside, not before adding: "You guys are weird today."_

_The other girls began follow suit, but not before Sarumaru called out. "Were you looking for Mamura? He went inside for a second to grab his sports bag. He left kind of quickly though."_

_All three girls gasped._

_Was it?_

_They rushed to finish their food, eager for the answer. Ten minutes before class began again, the trio finally went back to Tsuru's desk._

_The letter was gone._

_Also, the basket in the front that contained their messages had an envelope sitting on top that had seemed to be cut open on the corner, but had been taped shut again._

_It read, 'in 10 years'._

* * *

This assignment was given to reflect upon ourselves.

Someone was hurt yesterday because of someone they loved. I don't want to see that anymore.

In ten years, I want her to be happy.

I said earlier that my ten-year goal was to be with her, but I know she'll still love him and she wouldn't be happy. So, it's impossible for me to tell her that I've fallen in love with her.

Ten years from now, please make sure Suzume Yosano is happy.

* * *

**I updated really really fast! I have so many things due, but I felt the urge to not prioritize anything and do this first! I hope you enjoy. Let me know how it goes! I'll hopefully update soon. And hopefully you guys aren't mad that Mamura pretty much isn't in this chapter, but I mean- his essence is, right?**

**Thank you to all the readers for reading (lol) and reviewing! I really enjoy your feedback.**

**Tsukiaa**


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